


End of Watch

by Bacop1



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Character Death, F/F, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-28
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-06-17 21:42:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15470706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bacop1/pseuds/Bacop1
Summary: Spoilers for episode 3x02.  How do you cope, how do you deal with a loss so devastating?





	End of Watch

Nicole finished wrapping the compression bandage around her rib cage. She hissed slightly as the tan material stretched and pulled against the blossoming bruise on her flank. After her brief free fall when the rope was cut by Bulshar’s soldier she slammed against the craggy rockface harder than she thought. 

Her torn and damaged hands gripped the side of the white porcelain sink. The near fall had hurt her more than she first admitted. 

She looked up into the mirror. She was shocked by her own reflection. There was a hardness in her stare and a light devoid in her eyes. She slipped them closed and exhaled a shuddering breath. 

“AGENT DOWN!” She had yelled into the radio.

Her training kicked in. No pulse. Shit. Breathing? Nothing. Push Nicole. Push! 

She had felt the group around her. Silently pleading for the CPR to work. In her head the panic and the calm battled. 

Just keep pushing. 

Her chest felt tight. She was on the brink of collapsing in to tears and literally feeling devoid of all emotion. 

He was gone. He was fucking gone. 

She dipped her head and replayed it over. And over. And over. 

Her own voice surprised her as she whispered out the truth that she knew. 

“It should have been me.”

Special Agent Xavier Dolls has more training. More experience. He has tactical advantages and intelligence and discipline…..

Shit. Had. 

“It should have been me.” She said aloud again as she shook her head. 

If Wynonna had listened. For once. She’d be gone and he’d still be here. To protect the people she cared about most. To ensure the safety of all of her people. The “dragon with a heart of gold.” With more to give this team than she ever could have. He would have actually been able to help defeat Bulshar. To end the curse. 

She exhaled again and closed her eyes. Willing the last few hours to have been a dream...a nightmare. 

“Don’t say that.” A voice pleaded through the silence. 

She hadn’t even heard the door to the locker room open. 

She turned slowly and saw Waverly standing just inside the doorway. She had a fresh set of silver crutches holding her up. A severe sprain diagnosed by paramedics at the scene with admonishment at her refusal to be transported. 

Nicole couldn’t look her in the eye. 

“I didn’t mean for you to hear that.” Nicole said sadly. 

“I’d rather you didn’t mean it at all.” Waverly said lip trembling. A tear rolling down her cheek. 

“Waves…” Nicole began. 

Waverly crutched over to her. So they were standing chest to chest. The shorter woman balled her fists in the fabric of Nicole’s t shirt. Grasping it hard in her hands that were shaking. 

“No Nicole! No! I watched you die once. I can’t do it again!”

What she didn’t say is that she’d seen Nicole through too many close calls. Death and resuscitation from the Jack of Knives. Willa’s gunshot. The widow’s bite and her deathbed confessions. The fall today. Waverly knew that Nicole was willing to sacrifice it all. And she hated it. 

Nicole turned her face to the side and tears ran down her cheeks. Waverly forced her to look at her with a strong hand on her chin. 

“When I saw that rope racing towards the edge…” she choked back a sob. She’d thought that was it. Limping to the edge and grasping the rope with Wynonna she believed that she would see Nicole at the bottom of the cliff. Bloodied and broken. Gone. 

“It shouldn’t have been any of us. Can’t you see that?! Please. I need you. I need you to stay with me. Please don’t leave me.”

The weight of the day. The months. The years forced Waverly to collapse. 

Strong hands caught her under her arms and lowered both of them to the floor. Nicole wrapped her up and placed kisses to her temple. “I’m here baby. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Waverly cried and cried out “Why?!”

Nicole didn’t know if the why was from the loss of their dear friend. Their brother in arms. Or from all of it. All the betrayal and heartache. The curse that now plagued them all. 

Nicole pulled her tighter. Ribs be damned. 

The door to the locker room opened again and the Earp heir took in the scene before her. She had changed into jeans and a long sleeved black sweater. Her arm was in a sling and her hands were wrapped from the rope burns sustained saving her life. Peacemaker hung low on her hip. 

She looked defeated and lost. The light missing from her eyes. 

Unsure of whether to stay or leave the room Wynonna froze. Until Nicole made eye contact with her and reached out a hand. 

Wynonna moved slowly grasping Nicole’s hand in hers and slid to the ground hip to hip with the red headed Officer. She wrapped her arms around Waverly and Nicole. She squeezed hard. 

“I’m sorry.” She whispered. Voice hoarse from the cold and the stress. The apology for so many things. 

Waverly shifted and put her forehead to Wynonna’s. “No more.” She pleaded. “Wynonna I can’t…”

“We’ve got you.” Wynonna whispered. 

Waverly continued to cry. Wynonna looked at Nicole over Waverly’s bowed head. 

“I don’t know what to do.” Wynonna confessed. 

“We fight.” A whiskey smooth voice said from the doorway. 

Doc stood. His arm around a defeated and exhausted Jeremy. The younger man with dried tear stains across his cheeks. The men entered the room slowly and sat beside the women. 

“We never forget.” Jeremy said softly. 

The group hugged. Holding onto the only sanity they had. Each other. They were alive but broken. A collective thought passed through their minds. How do you go on after a loss like this? How do you honor such a sacrifice?

“What do we do now?” Nicole asked quietly. 

A new voice joined the room. 

“We end this.” 

They all looked up to see Randy Nedley standing strong an magnanimous in the hall just outside the room. He walked in the room and dropped a hand to Nicole’s shoulder. He squeezed. He nodded. 

“Together.” Waverly said. 

“Family.” Wynonna said. 

They nodded and agreed. 

“Family.”

**Author's Note:**

> On May 21 2018 I suffered a loss that I am still processing. I lost a dear friend. A co worker. A sister in blue. Last nights episode brought up a lot of feelings for me. The loss is more than I can say. I still struggle with the images and memories of that day. But for me the only thing that helped me, that is still helping me heal is the comraderie and friendship and love of my people. My circle. My family. We stand alone together. We keep fighting. We never forget.


End file.
